Former Maori Party co-leader Dame Tariana Turia has been appointed to the Families Commission board.

The commission rebranded late last year and is now known as the Social Policy Evaluation and Research Unit, or Superu for short.

The organisation is tasked with monitoring, evaluating and researching to improve the lives of New Zealand families and communities, and it also funds services including the NZ Family Violence Clearinghouse.

Associate Social Development Minister Jo Goodhew announced Dame Tariana's appointment to the board, as well as Len Cook.

Unstated: how much money she'll get for this on top of her gold-plated parliamentary superannuation and her free travel perks. But regardless of how much it is, the sight of National rewarding their parliamentary cronies with public money is obscene.